The 1 Pound Pack-Rifle (And Fishing Pole!)
A pack rifle is a rifle small enough to be carried in a backpack. They are generally chambered in small caliber cartridges, such as the .22 LR or .410 shot shell, and are used for hunting, survival and plinking. The Marlin Papoose is an example of a pack gun (notably a favorite of Tam and Andrew). My pack rifle is a SBR (12" barrel) Ruger 10/22. To carry it in a pack I remove the stock, cutting down the overall length by a few inches. Neither a disassembled Ruger or Marlin Papoose can come close to the compact and almost gravity-defying light weight of Mountain View Machine & Welding's Pack-Rifle.
The single-shot bolt-action Pack-Rifle weights just 0.97 lbs! That is less than a third of the weight of the small Marline Papoose (3.25 lbs) and the Henry/US Survival AR-7 (3.5 lbs) (in their defense, both are magazine fed semi-automatics).
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .22 LR |
| Capacity | Single Shot |
| Action | Bolt Action |
| Finish | Aluminum / Carbon Fiber |
| Barrel | Button rifled with Carbon Fiber Outer |
| Stock | Carbon Fiber |
| Overall Length | 33" |
| Takedown Length | 17" |
| Weight | 0.97 lbs. |
| Sights | Adjustable Peep |
| MSRP (Price) | $425 |
Another unique feature of the Pack-Rifle is that is can be converted to a fishing pole! A telescopic pole can be installed on the stock and a reel screwed into the pistol grip.
[ Many thanks to Dude for emailing me the link. ]
I see some mis-info. The AR7 is not 2 lbs more than the pak-rifle. Mine has a very lightweight aftermarket stock, is less o/a length, and weighs mere ounces more than the pak-rifle at approx 26 ounces. I can keep all shots in approx one inch at more than 20 yards with iron sights – more accurate than my 10/22. It is totally reliable with Velocitors. You’ve got to ‘breathe’ on it to make it reliable, but once everything is mirror-polished it is the most reliable .22 rifle I’ve ever had – and this looks back 60 years. It has replaced all other .22s for every and all purposes. Take the time to smooth it up and you won’t be sorry.
Rich
for the cost……. I could design one you could use as a walking stick as well and kill a bear with…………
a $425 .22 single shot? really?
make it a .458 African for that cost……..
And which politically incorrect statement did I make ? What I said was very true .
Any rifle will turn into a fishing pole , just tie a line and hook to the barrel ( behind the front sight so it don’t slip off ) m.
I want one of those puppies where can I get one.
Why bother with fragile, time-consuming gimmicks when the finest pack-gun/trail-gun ever made (since they got the barrel problems solved) has a MSR of $415.00: Kel-Tec PMR 30 w/2 30-Round WMR Magazine firepower. Even fully loaded – it ain’t heavy, and accurate? Absolutely!
One more thing in defense of the AR-7 is that IT FLOATS!! Just the thing to ride in the canvas pouch behind the canvas bench seat of my restored 1940 Taylorcraft when it fly’s over desolate west Texas rangeland.
Brie
Did no one notice he says the barrel is 12 inches?? I bet it’s 16 and some change or 17 even. 12 is illegal.
You carry this when you are in bear country so when you and your friend happen upon a bear, you shoot your friend in the knee and make your escape….
That “toy” won’t shoot strait or cast very far at all. I can think of other things to take up space in my pack. And $400 . . . get real.
You said it right ! . . For $400 you could buy a REAL 22 rifle and a real fishing rod ! . . . I’m sometimes in to novelty items but they have to have some value ! . . I don’t see any in this little doo-dad ! . . . I guess you could use it to drive a tack into dry wall to hang a picture with, . . If it didn’t break in the process ! . . . But, $400 is a lot to pay for a tack driver too ! . . .
http://www.shoot-straight.com/p-426-us-survival.aspx
i beleive this would be much more useful.
Does the Henry convert to a fishing pole, Henry? I think not…
The weight is particularly impressive when you consider that even something like a ‘Crickett’ weighs 2 1/2 pounds. But as others have noted, this thing needs a trigger guard and a safety. The scope mount also seems like severe overkill. A ‘picatinny’ rail 1/3 that size with one mount location for a small red-dot like an Aimpoint Micro would be more in keeping with the theme. The images on the web-site look like they milled off the top half of the rail, and I have to wonder how some rings/mounts would engage the different shape. A rail 1/3 the length, but of conventional shape would still weigh less. It looks like there are 2 threaded holes at the top front of the receiver (looking at the web-site). You could probably cut a small section of rail to fit there. Or if these are the holes for the studs on the scope mount: thread the holes, and permanently attach a small rail of conventional shape, then use a red-dot with a quick release. The last thing I might want is a pair of clips, (front and rear) that secure the two halves together when stowed.
“This thing needs a trigger guard and a safety!” WHY?
A smart shooter would never load it till he was ready to shoot it!
Of course you would load it while Fishing!
Novel idea, but I’ve carried a High Standard (old model) as a survival weapon since 1967. It does weigh more than this rifle, but is much more compact and super accurate.
As to the doubters that a .22 lr will kill a cougar, you are wrong. I have hunted lions with hounds in past years, and over 90% were killed by one shot of .22 lr hollow point. In fact, I hunted with one old timer that only used .22 short hollow point and head shots. They entered the skull, scrambled the brain and I only saw one that exited. I,m not saying that it can’t happen, but I’ve never seen a cat that was wounded that would charge if there was an escape route. Lions are not brave animals, but are opertunistic hunter and killers. Most peolpe that are attacked are running away from the cat, wheather by design or just happenstance. You will note that most attacks are on small children or persons that are walking or running on primative trails and completely unaware the cat was there. I have had sober, honest people tell me they have faced lions while hunting or hiking, and scared them off by raising their arms to look as large as possible and yelling loudly. I’ve never tried that myself, and since I never go out of my house unarmed would probably be more inclined to shoot it.
Pics or it didn’t fucking happen. What are you, Boba Fett?
Then the lions are frozen in cabonite for shipment to Jabba-The-Hut.
the dudes obviously talking about mountain lions
It looks…
fragile, despite the materials used for it.
22mag would be better but Lr ok. Price is too steep by half. Like but won’t buy.
I like it but I would like to see some black plastic on the rifle even if it ment more weight.
A contured grip and a small forend that folds into a bipod.
As others have noted – a kid took a friggin’ mountain lion with a .22LR. I don’t know if the manufacturers would have this info, since the pics seem to be in the customer-submitted section – but I would _really_ like to know:
What brand/type of .22 LR ammo was used? CCI Stingers? Solid points?
When using a single-shot .22 LR to hunt a big cat that is more than capable of stalking, killing and eating you – where do you try to place your shot?
Do you have your dad or uncle standing by with something like a .30-06 semi-auto loaded with 220-grain solids, just in case?
Don’t get me wrong – I have to admire the nerve of the kid, and whoever his adult supervisor was. For all I know, the kid took down the African Big 5 as a warm-up before he decided to relax with a little light hunting. I happen to like the odds to be stacked a little more in my favor, especially with dangerous game. (Has anyone here read Capstick’s book on African game? I recall that most of the big cats were quite difficult to kill, much less stop – and this was with cartridges like .375 H&H.).
Most likely the cat was treed by dogs, and (if all went well) killed with a single shot to the heart/lungs. The skull and pelt are the prized trophies, so the goal is to minimize any damage to them. That is SOP in many western states.
I seriously doubt the .22 did the deed, but it is possible.
I am not sure if I want one of these, but I now have a strange desire to mount a zebco 404 on one of my Mosins.
Dumb question, but why do most pack rifles come in .22 LR? I know it’s to save weight and all that, but why not go up a little to say, .223 or something? Yeah, shot placement and all that, but if I was stuck in the wilderness, I’d want a gun with enough power to kill larger game if I needed to. A .22 just doesn’t seem like it would pack enough punch to do that.
The .22 will kill elk, deer, moose or other large game just shoot them in the eye. It is a survival rifle and as such I wouldn’t expect to be following any laws if I needed to shoot something larger than bunnies for sustenance in a survival situation. I would consider hunting at night by the light of the moon or a flashlight if I had one, and I would be taking advantage of any large animal I saw male or female, and even the young that wouldn’t be hunted. So, .22 would likely be capable of what is needed.
Agreed. Even 22 mag or 17HMR would be a huge improvement that would not take up any room.
It looks like a nice toy for the person that has everything that needs something else to play with. It looks ridiculous and it’s way over priced.
I carry a Buckmark Micro with Fiber optic sights and 500 Stingers in my pack.
I cut and put unions on an ultralight reel to break down to 12 inches, too.
I’ll pass on that until I see Range reports.
After looking at the pix on the mfr.’s website, I believe that what appears to be a tubular magazine is actually a barrel support. Given the design envelope, though, maybe it could be re-engineered into a semi-auto; the designers certainly seemed to have the classic .22 semi design esthetic in mind. Even if the semi weighed one or even two pounds more than the single-shot, it would still be very compact compared to the AR7 (fair disclosure, the AR7 is NOT one of my faves).
Josh: I’m looking forward to watching that video.
I fondled one of these at Wholsale Sports a year or so ago. It is a really nifty rifle, and super light. I don’t recall how the trigger was, but if you need to keep weight down, this is the way to do it.
That looks pretty darn compact. And it’s no more expensive than buying a 10/22 and paying the NFA tax.
Interesting gun looks like a 60 vintage James bond gun.
Cute rifle but I think you should add a knife and some scissors and call it a Swiss Army Rifle. Does it come in red?
This looks like a must have if you are a hunter or fisherman. It reminds me of a swiss army hunting tool. Great find!
Wow, I might have to pick one of these up
This thing was called Pak-Rifle until about a year ago. Sorry I didn’t mention it, but it’s such a small company and there’s so little info that I thought it was vaporware. It is *definitely* a single-shot, striker fired rifle. Check out this youtube for a review from a backpacker/hunter. You can jump to 1:19 to see loading & operation. Warning to the sensitive: he takes and displays a grouse in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM6Q7m-HFj4
I don’t really think this should be compared to something like an AR-7 or Feather 22. This is 1/3rd the weight of those systems. It’s clearly a niche product. The intent is for a rifle that is the absolute lightest possible. A 1 pound rifle can save you from carrying several pounds of food, or it can serve as an EDC last-resort survival rifle.
I agree that it would be nice in .22WMR or .17HMR. They don’t weigh much more than .22lr but provide a lot more punch. I usually prefer .22lr because I like to shoot a lot, but I doubt anyone will be putting high volumes through this rifle. Maybe the extra pressure would require heavier construction? I’d love to have one of these, but I have higher priorities than a single shot rifle I will never need.
Darn it!! I must have. I must have.
The website has a couple customer snaps of a kid having taken down a cougar with it… that’s one heck of an example of shot placement; a .22 taking down a puma?
I like it.
Considering how much superlight pack gear typically costs, I don’t think the price is too out of line- although losing a little carbon fiber to get the price under $300 would be appreciated.
GJ.
The more I think about the rifle, the more I believe the makers meant “semi-auto” when they said “single-shot”. It looks like a tube-fed semi, loaded from the front.
Believe it or not, the people who made it know what it is! Watch the video that was linked to in one of the earlier posts and you’ll see it being put into action; it should leave you with no doubt that it is, in fact, single-action.
I kinda like it. Wish it had a trigger guard. Price is too high IMO.
Very cool, but I think if you’er going to go single shot, maybe a slightly more powerful cartridge like .22 WMR, .17 HMR, or .17 HM2 would be better. You’d get a little more “oomph” and a little more reach. I agree with other people that the lack of a trigger guard is silly and the weight added would be insignificant, especially if it was polymer.
It doesn’t look to me like the tube is a magazine. It isn’t close enough to the barrel and bolt. Probably, it’s storage for ammo and other survival trinkets (like the pole and line).
The gun looks very slick, and I hope the company doe swell with their product. Innovation like this keeps the industry alive, and this is infinitely better than another AR-15, Centennial 1911, or striker fired pistol. Not that there is anything wrong with the aforementioned designs (well, maybe dumb Centennial 1911s), but they aren’t innovative anymore.
For a pure survival rifle (as opposed to a Zombie Slayer), single-shot makes a lot of sense. It forces the shooter to make each shot count; in a true survival situation, each cartridge will be worth far more than its weight in gold. That tube sure looks like a magazine, though. A straight-pull bolt-action, with a terminology mixup, perhaps?
The link has a photo section–a 10yo (max) kid killing a cougar with this rifle?
I DON’T THINK SO!
I love it, must have. From a purely design asthetic it is a work of art. Is it actually available at this time for sale?
Their website doesn’t appear to offer much detailed info on action or capacity, but it sure doesn’t look like a single shot bolt action from the pictures. It looks to me like it has a short tube magazine and the action looks like a semi-auto with a stubby charge handle. I also dislike the lack if a trigger guard, even if they are trying to save as mich weight as possible.
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James Bond does not approve.
That’s pretty awesome. One question – can it fire without the barrel screwed into the action?
As in, can the extractor hold a cartridge to the boltface with enough tenacity that the hammer can crush the cartridge rim and discharge the weapon?
hopefully without a proper chamber supporting any cartridge that somehow got into the action without the barrel attached would just fall out unfired, but I have no idea how this thing is set up.
If it can fire without the barrel attached (eg if the chamber is part of the action and not the barrel assembly), you’d be looking at a sbr at best, and a ND in fishing rod mode into your leg at worst.
Also it would go without saying that the action should be kept open at all times until ready to shoot, as brush could easily hit the trigger while you are on the move due to the omission of a trigger guard.
Nice little video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM6Q7m-HFj4
Chamber is in the barrel so no SBR or ND concerns.
Really neat; the Henry AR-7 seems to fit the bill much better, though. Two pounds heavier, but it is semi-auto, it’s self-contained when packed for storage, and can probably stand a good deal of abuse when packed or assembled. Let alone the price difference and ammo capacity.
Man, is this neat though.
That’s pretty cool, right there. I love utilitarian stuff like that!
Wow. And I thought the rifle that The Jackal used in the movie “Day of the Jackal” (the one that various parts of the rifle were hidden in a crutch) was impossible. This looks very simple and it works.
I kind of want one of these but the price seem just a little to high for what your getting I can get a ar-7 for half the price and it floats.
That’s pretty handy, I wouldn’t mine one of those for the tackle box.
AR-7 my friend one of the best .22lr pack rifles there is.